Products at a Glance
How We Picked the Best Printer for Stickers
We made sure to consider a few things when picking the best printer for stickers. Print quality, printing speed, and color accuracy were the key factors, but we also looked at lamination capabilities, wireless connectivity to, laptops, smartphones and tablets, and additional features e.g. built-in scanner. Our team has bags of experience with a variety of printers, and this guide leans on that as well as our own research to find the best deals for you. We’ve also tried to ensure that our choices are as versatile as possible: a device solely dedicated to printing stickers isn’t the best investment, so our choices should all be great printers for crafting with a wide array of compatible media.
Product Reviews
- Multi-purpose
- Custom image editing in the HP Smart app boost sticker creation
- Strong wireless connection compatibility
- Good initial price for the unit and the HP+ 6 months free ink is a good deal
- Print cartridges can get expensive
The HP Envy 7955E is our overall best sticker printer thanks to a super user-friendly design and fantastic quality. This is a great InkJet printer for those new to printing stickers or just want a decent all-rounder for a home office. Stickers are super customizable via the HP Smart App and can produce any type of sticker in sizes from 4 x 6 inches up to 8 x 10 inches, so there’s plenty of versatility. As a wireless printer, it can print true-to-phone photos straight from your mobile device. High-quality stickers are easily produced – making this a great choice for small business owners, especially as fast printing speeds mean it is easy to print many at a time. This also comes in handy if you’re looking to print in batches. That said, the 7955E isn’t ideal for those wanting a cost-effective print solution. HP’s ink cartridges can be costly, even with their ink subscription service that keeps your device fully stocked. This was the only real hurdle we ran into with this top sticker printer, however, and it’s still our number one choice!
- Well-priced
- Flexible use friendly
- Swift, wireless printing
- Fairly hefty
- Not idea for craft sticker printing
- Fairly pricey ink
Laser printers for stickers aren’t really an automatic choice. They lack the vibrancy available with inkjet options, more office and organization focused for plain black-and-white documents. The Brother HL-L3270CDW makes a good case for laser printers in this category though, offering flexible printing and admirable color depth in a printer that is both wireless pretty speedy, and not too pricey for a laser model.
We’re big fans of Brother printers here at PC Guide, and the HL-3270CDW is no exception: a highly productive and easy-to-use all-in-one printer. Once it’s set up to print via WiFi it’s 250 tray capacity and solid print speed mean that productivity isn’t an issue.
However, the key consideration for this printer should be whether it ticks all or enough of the boxes for your needs. For less ‘fun’ or creative use the Brother HL-L3270CDW can provide high-output speed and quality printing, but if you’re a home user with limited space (and that space isn’t a home office) it may not be for you. Cardstock and envelopes are among the types of media this printer can print to, although the settings aren’t the most straightforward available and may need some unraveling.
- Affordable
- Multi-functional
- Economical and environmentally friendly
- Good photo printing quality
- Quite slow so not great for heavy workload
- Budget-level color accuracy
There are a few options you should consider for the best budget sticker printer – one of which is the Canon PIXMA G6020. This printer has great photo print quality and can work with a variety of different needs. As an ink tank printer, this model offers an exceptional cost per print. Much like the budget Epson ET-2850, the color accuracy may not be as high quality as other options but the benefits outweigh the cons and give you an altogether capable home printer. Furthermore, ink tank printers can be converted to sublimation if required. The printing speed may not be the quickest but for your personal projects, this will deliver – just be sure to properly calibrate your colors.
- High image quality
- Great depth of color
- Compact
- Expensive for personal use
Finally, we have the Canon PIXMA PRO-200. This supports media sizes up to 13 x 19 inches, making it suitable for printing larger stickers or multiple smaller stickers on a single sheet. This flexibility is beneficial when working with different sticker sizes or layouts. It’s very durable and produces high-quality prints with long lasting colors. Plus, it’s super compact, making it perfect for home use or small offices.
The PRO-200 offers a maximum print resolution of 4800 x 2400 dpi, allowing for sharp and detailed sticker prints. This level of resolution is crucial for maintaining clarity in small text, fine lines, and intricate designs. Though the price point leaves a lot to be desired, the versatility of this top-quality model make it ideal for any kinds of graphic design work!
- Versatile media support
- Great color gamut
- Slow print speeds
For a stellar all-round print solution, the Epson Expression XP-15000 is the ultimate choice. With a wide print format and an array of media compatibility, it’s no wonder that this unit is one of our best printers for graphic design!
The XP-15000 is capable of printing designs as large as 13″ x 19″, meaning that you can print larger stickers in higher quantities with ease! Optional high-yield cartridges provide excellent return on investment and much better turnover rates, and WiFi direct makes wireless printing a breeze – though you’ve still got cable compatibility should you need it! Colors are reproduced vividly even on the largest of print sizes.
However, this printer is a great deal slower than average even on basic materials, which reduces its overall efficiency substantially. But for a compact design packed with an arsenal of quality-of-life features, the XP-15000 is hard to beat!
Best Sticker Printer: Features and Considerations
There are several things to consider when choosing a printer for making stickers, such as size, ink, overall costs, and much more:
Print Size and Media Compatibility
Determine the size of stickers you plan to create and ensure the printer can handle that size. Additionally, consider the types of media the printer supports. Stickers can be printed on various materials such as glossy, matte, or vinyl, so make sure the printer is compatible with the media you intend to use. As we come on to later, do not use InkJet paper on a LaserJet printer. The two work using very different mechanisms and this can cause damage.
Ink System
Consider the ink system the printer uses. Some printers have individual color cartridges, allowing you to replace only the specific color that runs out. This can be more cost-effective in the long run compared to printers with combined color cartridges.
Color Reproduction
For the best-looking stickers, you’ll want the most vivid and accurate colors, so as not to be disappointed when printing from screen to sticker! The best printers for stickers have a great color gamut, reliably recreating multiple shades with great detail.
Print Resolution
Similarly, the best sticker printers should be at the best possible resolution in Dots per Inch (DPI) to most accurately reproduce your designs. There is a lot of crossover between what makes the best printer for stickers and the best printers for photos, as both require high detail and color accuracy for the best results.
Connectivity
Determine how you want to connect your printer. USB connectivity is common, but if you plan to print wirelessly or from multiple devices, consider printers with a Wi-Fi connection or Bluetooth connectivity.
Ease of Loading
Whether you are bulk printing stickers or only using them for selective prints, you’ll want an easy-to-access media tray. It’s always worth double-checking where you insert the sticker stock into the printer before printing, as some models can make it far more cumbersome than others – which can affect how you store the printer as well as how you use it.
What do you Need to Print Stickers?
Aside from the printer, of course, the next essential ingredient for sticker printing is having the right media. Sticker Paper is fairly easy to come by, so long as you double-check the type you want to use is compatible with the printer that you want to use. You also need a design: programs like Adobe Illustrator or Canva are great for creating effective and high-quality designs – just make sure that you make them PNG files if you want a transparent background!
InkJet vs LaserJet
When selecting what printer to go for, you’re going to need to choose between Inkjet and Laserjet models. With Inkjets, you sacrifice speed but end up with a more crisp and detailed result image. This is why InkJet multimedia printers are the best for stickers and decals. However, they also use more ink, and require the cartridges to be changed often – this can prove to be expensive. For simpler but more frequently-printed designs, a LaserJet printer will be more cost-effective.
What type of printer is best for stickers?
This all depends, but generally, if you are looking to print a lot of stickers, fast, then we recommend opting for a LaserJet printer. The quality will not be as high as an Inkjet sticker printer, but unless they are very large this should not make much of a difference. While an InkJet printer is often a cheaper option initially, prices soon stack up as they use more ink than LaserJet printers, so take that into consideration. They do, however, produce higher-quality results.
Do you need a special printer to print stickers?
This depends on what type of sticker you’re looking to print. Generally Inkjet printers will be fine to print paper stickers or labels, but we recommend also reading the manufacture’s instruction manual, which will detail what sort of paper is compatible with your printer.
Our Verdict
For a great overall printer which also excels in stickers, go for the HP Envy 7855E. However, we’re big fans of all the printers on this list. The main thing to consider is the upfront cost and how many stickers, and how fast you’re looking to print. LaserJet options will be best for those looking to print en masse, but if you want the best-quality sticker or label, InkJet is the way to go, so long as you have budgeted for cartridges. This helps the HP version really stand out as our pick, as that six month supply of ink will go a long way, especially for those using the printer infrequently. If you’re still not quite sure what you’re looking for, or you want to see more recommendations, why not head over to our best all-in-one printer guide – where you can browse some other models that may be more appealing.